With Or Without Her
by DC Luder
Summary: They chose the path, now they’ll never be able to return.


Title: With or Without Her

Author: DC Luder

Summary: They chose the path, now they'll never be able to return.

Author's Note: All recognizable characters belong to DC Comics, not DC Luder.

A/N 2: Links to the inked artwork that inspired this fiction can be found on my website on the_Tales of The Dark Knight _page. It is beautifully crafted work and the following is my interpretation of it before it was completed with dialogue and inking. I advise that you look at the images and then come back and read the fic, it will be well worth your time.

^V^ WW ^V^

_Love cures people -- both the ones who give it and the ones who receive it._

Dr. Karl Ménage

^V^ WW ^V^

Saturday.

It had been nearly twenty-four hours since she had last seen _him_. An entire day apart had felt like an eternity for her and she found herself constantly aware of the time. She never wore a watch, as it would interfere with her bracelets, but kept a good mental record of what time it was. Even before she entered the house she knew it was a little before ten in the evening.

Her last chance to catch _him _before patrols.

Prior to entering the house, she had done her best to assess if _he _was even home. The garage was full and the only sign of life in the house was an old man's form on the second floor, dozing with a leather bound book in his hands. Which meant _he _was down below.

A full moon's illumination formed eerie shadows in the vast rooms on the ground floor. She remembered seeing images of the original mansion in the midst of reports from the earthquake that had reduced centuries of memories to rubble. Completely reformed, it reminded her of a medieval castle more than billionaire's mansion. Which was fitting, because the billionaire was really a dark knight.

Her steps were silent on the thick carpets that trimmed the halls. Although she had never toured alone, she had no fear of getting lost as she had remembered every corner and turn. Within minutes she walked through an open door, glancing around as she assessed the room. The couches were empty and the only noticeable color was a vase of flowers on a credenza. As she crossed the room towards the Grandfather clock, she couldn't help but look up above empty fireplace.

A masterpiece portrait in oils for certain. The colors and textures superbly represented, giving life to a couple that had been dead for nearly thirty years. As she stared up at the painting, it was striking how similar he and his father looked. Although, the man had a soft featured face, even more enlightened as he admired his wife beside him.

She suddenly wished she could see that same expression on _his _face.

She reached up carefully and adjusted the time, took note as the locks disengaged and the door moved on hidden tracts. The warmth of the room was suddenly lost as a wave of cool, damp air came up to meet her. As to not announce her presence, she drifted down the stairway, her feet mere inches above the damp granite steps. Aside from soft cries in the dark and the recurring echoes of water dripping, the only other sound she detected was the rhythmic clatter of typing. Then a quick growl as _he _cleared _his _throat.

A vast majority of the lights were off in the cavern, allowing for its natural eeriness to come through. She studied the jagged form of the cavern walls, the alterations that had been made over the years and then the soft radiance of a computer screen.

_He _was silhouetted as the display glowed in front of _him_, outlining _his _unmasked head and broad shoulders. The screen was filled with text windows and flow charts, _his _attempt at categorizing crime. She stepped up onto the platform that held the computer console, setting off a soft sound that stirred the slumbering bats above.

Then silence as _he _paused in _his _work and looked up at the screen. _His _reflection was striking, a fine mixture between _his _two identities. Eyes narrowed, brows slightly furred, _his _lips pursed as _his _jaw tightened. She recognized the cold glare in _his _reflection and did her best to stand boldly, hands on her hips and shoulders drawn back. Then, as she looked at her own reflection, she began to lose her composure. Her hip tilted to one side slightly as she drew her left arm across her front to hug herself.

To comfort herself.

The glare that _his _reflection showed was unwavering, despite her uncomfortable body language. She suddenly wondered if _he _even cared that she had come back to see _him_. Or perhaps if _he _cared too much and could not find a way to express it without losing _his _composure. If _he _even cared at all.

It came to her suddenly, a warmth that spread from deep inside her and extend to every fiber of her body. The memory of feeling _his _lips slant across hers and _his _hand on her head, gently removing her tiara as her nimble fingers slipped _his _cowl off…

She composed herself once more and stood with her arms at her sides, looking at _him _and wondering if _he _was thinking about the same. There was a softening in _his _eyes that said that _he _was. Before she could stop herself, her mind drifted further back into the memory, recalling sensations too good to deny.

They had been just outside of _his _bedroom the night before. She had followed _him _up from the cave, demanding _he _talk to her about a subject they had ignored for far too long. _He had _refused to admit there was something between them, an attraction of some sort. Having known _him _for as long as she had, she knew this was _his _display of denial, just as any other time _he _had been on the other side of the table on any matter.

Just as _he _had reached the door, _he _looked at her in such a way that words became unnecessary. They moved towards one another, eyes closing as two pairs of lips met. Without looking, they shuffled into the dark room and made their way to the bed as she had removed _his _cape and allowed it to drop to the floor. _He _had reclined first, placing _his _hands on her sides as _he _pulled her down over _him_, their lips still moving across one another.

She had been standing behind _him _for nearly five minutes and _he _still hadn't made any move to accept the fact that she was there. A flash of anger flared in her eyes she watched _his _statuesque posture before her mind returned to the events of the night before.

They had not uttered a single word and simply conversed through their actions. She had been surprised at how gentle _his _hands had been, despite the calluses and the power that rested within them. _His _touch had been unbelievably quiet as _he _had removed her bodice, barely making contact with her skin. And how _he _had taken her jaw into _his _hands, guiding her mouth to _his_. And how _he _had sighed so very quietly as her lips traveled down _his _chest…

The slightest crinkle of leather interrupted her thoughts and she looked to see _him _drawing _his _hand back to rest it on the arm of the chair. Her gaze shifted back to _his _reflection, hoping for some sort of reaction but not shocked when there hadn't been. Then she saw it. A faint parting of _his _lips, just as _he _had before in order to kiss her. She opened her mouth to say something and then noticed _his _grip on the arm tighten.

She balled her fist as if it would prevent the returning of the sensation of _his _hand meshed with hers. Every cell of her palm was suddenly tingling, just as they had the night before as she pressed it against _his _palm, pinning it to the mattress as _his _fingers had slipped between hers.

_He _leaned forward slightly, still avoiding her eyes, but unable to avoid _his _memories.

How could _he _have forgotten, she thought, she still could hardly believe what had happened between them. It had felt unreal, making love to _him_, but at the same time so right. Years of undue tension disappeared with every kiss and every touch. Still standing in the same position as when she had arrived, she looked down, her eyes closed slightly. Perhaps it had meant more to her than it had to _him_, after all, _he _had been with so many others…

It was then she heard _him _sigh.

She looked up to see _his _head lowered even further, and in _his _reflection she noticed _his _eyes were closed, a look of pain spreading across _his _features. When they opened, _his _brow had relaxed and there was a clarity in _his _eyes that she had only seen once before.

They had been laying side-by-side, _his _one arm around her bare shoulders as the other took hold of her hand. She had reached over and tilted _his _face towards hers, looking forever into an endless blue gaze. Kissing _him _so softly that it wouldn't have registered in her senses had there been no intention behind it.

What was _he _thinking, she asked herself, that last night had been a mistake? That it would never work? Was _he _thinking back on how _he _held her against _him_, how she had cried out _his _name, how that for just one moment they were one being?

She had to find out, if no reason than for her own sanity. The hard soles of her boots scraped against the stone floor as she closed the distance between them. _He _had to have known it would come to this, that she wouldn't have let _him _retreat into the darkness alone. As she placed a hand on the back of _his _chair, she stopped and looked down at _him _tenderly, secretly begging _him _to answer her unasked questions.

_He _didn't.

Instead, _he _turned _his _head towards her slightly as she about faced, just before she reached out and took _his _hand into hers. She expected _him _to withdraw quickly, to end the unwarranted contact. Instead, _he _looked straight ahead, trying not to acknowledge the act while at the same time allowing her to pull _his _arm back. She felt _him _shift _his _weight slightly and almost smiled at the thought that _he _was going to stand up.

She knew better, though.

After another glance back at _him_, head turned away from her, she let _him _go and retraced her steps across the stone floor and towards the granite steps. As she ascended the stairs, this time walking instead of flying, she gazed back at _him _once more to see _him _in the same stoic position in _his _chair. Had she looked back a moment later; she would have seen _his _form bent over, face hidden in _his _hands.

_He _would have to learn to live with her.

_He _would have to learn to live without her.

^V^ WW ^V^


End file.
